


Lives from the Vine

by frominsideacomputer



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Afterlife, Air Temple Island, Character death but it's not violent or graphic, Comics, Gen, I never read the conics don’t come for me, Old Age, Old Friends, Reminiscing, Republic City, Reunions, This is the reunion we deserved in LOK, United Republic of Nations (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, it's just a cute piece of life, that's rough buddy, this one is not for the shippers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:47:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25157248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frominsideacomputer/pseuds/frominsideacomputer
Summary: Set between Legend of Korra Book 3 and 4, Katara is asked to visit Republic City, where she finds herself falling into old memories and her past, learning things about her friends that she never knew before.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 59





	Lives from the Vine

**Author's Note:**

> this was the reunion we deserved in lok  
> (I’m excessively proud of this title too)

With Korra recuperating from the attack and near defeat against Zaheer, the safety and protection of the world had fallen to the leaders of the Nations. Tenzin and the Airbenders were growing in numbers and their new way of helping people across the world was working. The world was, for the most part, quite safe, but Kuvira’s forces were growing and it was stirring up concerns among not only the Earth Nation’s leaders, but the Water tribes and the Fire Nation were worried about what Kuvira would do after creating her “Earth Empire.”

Before Korra started seeing Katara to help with her recovery, she spent a lot of time contemplating the state of the world and what had led her to her life now. Sometimes she wished to be back in the days when they’d be travelling across the world on Appa, saving everyone from the Fire Nation, it wasn’t that she regretted staying in the Southern Tribe, but life wasn’t as exciting as it used to be. She was old now; she wasn’t made for those kinds of adventures anymore.  
She missed her brother, she missed Aang, her heart ached when she thought about them. She also missed Toph and Zuko, all their lives had taken different paths, and they never saw each other anymore.  
Their Team Avatar had moved on, reincarnated like the Avatar.

* * *

Tenzin asked Katara to come to Republic City, she was one of the few people left who had really seen the world without an Avatar in it. He needed to honestly know how bad it could become. Katara decided that she should go, the Southern Tribe could do without her for a week or two.

“It’s so wonderful to see all of you,” Katara said, hugging her three children as they greeted her off the boat.  
‘I hate to drag you away from home like that, but you might be one of the few people who can really help.” Tenzin said, and they made their way to city centre and to the President.

They passed through the narrow streets, the buildings casting shadows that the car flicked through. Katara saw a world that was so different from what she’d grown up in. In the streets perpendicular to the main roads, she saw flashes of lives in a modern world, where benders were not separate in their own nations, but where their strengths were used together.  
Perhaps, she thought, that in another lifetime she’d have loved to live in the city, to be a part of the metropolis that was the pioneer of the new world.  
As the Katara, Tenzin, and Lin walked across the courtyard to the palace, a huge roar split across the open sky, and Druk appeared, a jet of fire burning the air. With a powerful flap of his wings which nearly blew Katara over, the dragon landed in the courtyard and Zuko elegantly dismounted from the creature.  
“This is not just a coincidence is it, my son?’ Katara smiled, happy to see her old friend again.  
“Like I said, mother, there’s only a few people who can help.”  
Zuko reached the group, a smile stretching across his face. “Tenzin, Lin, it’s good to see you both, but I wish it were under better circumstances.”

Lin left to take care of police business; she’d vowed to change how the system worked to keep people safe rather than making too many arrests. With Korra out of the picture, the safety of the citizens was a lot of her responsibility,

Inside they met President Raiko; the conversation was solemn, all Katara and Zuko could do was try to stop the President from waging a full war against Kuvira, knowing that it would never work out as well as they all thought.  
“-But stopping Kuvira before she amasses more power might be the only way to keep Republic City safe.”  
“War will only make things worse; it’ll divide not just this city but the entire Earth Kingdom too, and probably the rest of the world.” Katara responded, understanding just how bad war could cause a rift in the world.  
“Katara’s right,” Zuko continued. “A war against a group that is, well, helping people within the Earth Kingdom will only increase the resentment towards Republic City. I understand the threat they pose, but conflict is not the answer.”  
“Republic City is at risk, and who knows how the Earth Kingdom will react to her increasing force. It might not be as peaceful as Kuvira hopes.” Raiko countered, a scowl blowing across his face.  
“Mr. President, with all due respect, we are therefore not the people to help you. You need to talk to someone from the Earth Kingdom, go to Ba Sing Se or Omashu, talk to people there, and understand the Earth Nation people.” Tenzin stressed the importance of a comprehension of the vulnerable peoples.  
The room fell silent, Ba Sing Se was still corrupt to the core with the Dai Lee secretly running the city and Omashu was struggling to hold off Kuvira’s repeated assaults. They could not find a solution that didn’t involve more innocent lives being taken, and Katara felt that too strongly.  
After a moment of reflection, the four of them were ripped out of their musings as the doors burst open with a cloud of dust billowing around the space. Even in their old age, Katara and Zuko’s reflexes were fast. They, and Tenzin, jumped to their feet: fire, water, and air were ready to be hurled at the intruder.  
“You wouldn’t hurt a poor old blind woman, would you?” The voice cut through the veil of dust, a figure emerging from it. The three benders lowered their hands, Katara and Zuko rolling their eyes and smirking at her theatrics.  
“You know most people would just knock.” Zuko said, helping Toph into a chair.  
“Knocking’s for boring people.”  
Something about the three of them being together brought out a childlike energy, which Tenzin and the President were sat in awe of.

“Chief Beifong, this was a confidential meeting, how did you manage to find us?”  
“I know everything that’s going on in the world, I know more about how the nations work than you will ever.”

The meeting stretched on, the four of them becoming more tired of the President’s insistence on attacking Kuvira, but eventually they convinced him that war would not help in any way. Zuko had seen how power could become intoxicating, that it had an addictive quality that he understood but also was incredibly wary of. Kuvira was close to becoming so much like Ozai, but war would only intensify her hunger for authority. Katara knew how the people of the world would be affected by the war, she’d seen how homes were affected when men were forced to go and fight, not necessarily coming home in the aftermath. Toph had been listening to the world for several years, and she’d never felt worried for it until the whispers of Kuvira amassing forces made their way down the vines. She understood how abandoning one’s family was a hard decision, that Kuvira was undoubtedly committed to her cause and that she’d never leave it, not even when attacked. Toph did also find it a little ironic that it was her own daughter who Kuvira was betraying, given her own family history.

“Mr. President.” Tenzin gently bowed to him on the steps of the palace.  
“Tenzin, I will see you at the next council meeting. Lord Zuko, Katara, Toph, thank you for your input and I do value your opinions. I understand that war is not the solution now, but I cannot speak for the days to come.” He bowed to them and was escorted away by two guards.

“Mother,” Tenzin turned to Katara. “We should head back to Air Temple Island; Pema is preparing dinner.”  
She paused for a moment, “Of course darling, but would you be happy to go on without me? I would love to spend some time with Zuko and Toph, before we all travel back to our own nations. That is, if you both want to?” She looked to Zuko who nodded and smiled, while Toph replied sarcastically.  
“This isn’t going to become a ‘back in my day’ old people’s ramblings, is it? I’m still young.”  
“We’ll try not to. Tenzin, I will meet you for dinner later.” She hugged her son and he left them to reminisce.

Druk was sleeping in the courtyard, everyone needing to cross the space were carefully tiptoeing around him, but Zuko strutted across and woke up the dragon.  
Katara followed with Toph, who was, by habit, mocking Zuko. “The youth of today and their dragons, it’s outrageous.”  
“Toph, I’m older than you.” Zuko sighed, helping her onto Druk’s back.  
The three of them were mounted on the dragon, feeling nostalgic for the days of riding Appa.  
“Just one question, where are we going?” Zuko asked, before pulling on the reigns and they were hovering in the air.  
“Toph, you know this city, where should we go?”  
“I know the perfect place, head north, then just beyond the edge of the city there’s some cliffs which have a waterfall going over them. When you see the group of statues of me, that’s where you should land.”  
Katara and Zuko both opened their mouths to say something about the statues but realised there were some battles that were not worth fighting.

Druk landed on a rocky outcrop which overlooked the city. It was a beautiful place, a waterfall roared over the cliff to their left, thundering into the river below. The wind whipped through the trees, sending petals and leaves tumbling around them. It was where Toph had clearly spent a lot of time. There were a series of statues of her, varying in size, but also, as Katara and Zuko realised, there were models of them, Aang, and Sokka.  
They were close to a perfect likeness, but there were details which Katara and Zuko found both fascinating and emotional. They knew Toph saw the world differently to them, she was incredible at understanding what it looked like through touch alone, but to ‘see’ faces, she had to feel them intimately and extensively.  
Zuko found himself staring at a version of himself with a scar that was smaller than the reality, and he had a broad smile on the carved face. It was a version of himself he wished he recognised more.  
Katara looked at herself, but a face that had an expression of care and concern, which she’d always strived to meet, especially since the war had ended.  
“Toph, this place is…” She whispered, tears brimming behind her eyes as she and Zuko admired the faces of their friends. Aang looked older than the rest of them, but he still had a youthful energy that Katara recognised, his tattoos were quite pronounced but it was definitely him. She began to cry gently and Zuko took her hand. He stared at Sokka’s face, which seemed to be smirking at him, in a way which was very familiar. It was a slightly bizarre, yet emotional experience for the both of them. It brought back memories of the war, but also of the peace and changes which followed.

Toph was sitting on the side of the cliff, her feet hanging off the edge. Katara and Zuko sat down next to her, gazing over the city below.  
“T, what is this place?” Zuko asked.  
“I used to come here because it’s somewhere that’s quiet. I loved Republic City, but it’s very loud and there’s nowhere really quiet for me. After Sokka died, I needed to be able to remember him my own way, paintings and photographs don’t work for me, so I had to make my own. After that I wanted to make you guys too, because I didn’t know when I’d next see you. I don’t care if they’re not visually accurate, but this is how I see you.”  
“That’s wonderful Toph. I’m just sorry this is the first time I’m seeing it.” Katara spoke softly, tears filling her eyes once again. “It’s been too long since we were last together.”  
They sat in silence for a moment, before Toph broke it. “Would you be alright for me to feel your faces? The last memory I have of them is from when we were younger, and life hadn’t happened to us yet.”  
“Of course, T.” Zuko said, and he guided her hand up to his face. As her fingers moved over him, she could feel the lines in his skin, feeling how he’d aged. Her hand brushed the edge of his scar and Zuko flinched, pulling away slightly. “Sorry, I-”  
“No, I understand.” Toph said, giving him a moment to breathe.

A few moments later, Toph was feeling Katara’s skin, tracing the contours of her face, understanding how life had changed her in the years they’d been apart. It seemed that Katara hadn’t cried in years, and was making up for it now, as Toph felt a tear roll over her hand and she wiped it away.  
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve thought about Aang and Sokka this much in a while. One of the last times we saw each other was Aang’s funeral, I’m just sad we didn’t try to see each other more.”  
“Lives are like vines, they can start in different places, get knotted up in the middle and then end in different places again. Sometimes two will grow together for a while, but in the end, each has its own separate life.” Zuko said wistfully.  
“You should write a book of proverbs.”  
“I mostly quote my uncle,” He replied, his gaze dropping. “I miss him so much.”  
“He was a good man, and an excellent tea maker.” Katara smiled, thinking about the early days of Republic City when they were still kids who’d just helped saved the world.  
“I miss Sokka too,” Zuko continued. “He had an ability to win over everyone who met him despite being outrageously irritating a lot of the time. Watching him in council meetings was astonishing because his ideas were always the best, always the most sensible but he managed to annoy so many of the other governors. He could captivate anyone with stories of the things that happened to him, he might not have been a bender, but he had a power about him which was sometimes beyond anything that even Aang could do.”  
Katara and Toph were left in awe of Zuko’s gushing about Sokka, not realising how much he respected him or cared about him.  
“He was my big brother; throughout everything he was there. He never, ever failed to make me laugh just when I needed to. We saw the same things during the war, but it made us take different paths. At first, we both just wanted to live a life that wasn’t threatened by the Fire Nation _(“Sorry.” Muttered Zuko.)_ as we grew older and after Aang and I got married, I saw less and less of him. He was doing amazing things here, and in the Fire Nation with you Zuko, while I was trying to raise three children.  
“It wasn’t like their uncle Sokka wasn’t there, and I see a lot of him in Bumi, but once the children had grown up, returning home felt like the best decision for me because I could help to heal people where I grew up. He understood but I missed him. Sometimes I wish I had come back to visit him more, but he was doing such important things here, and I didn’t want to bother him.” She stared at the sun, which was setting behind the buildings of the city, silhouetting the statue of Aang on the skyline. It gave him an ethereal glow which reminded them of how he glowed when he was in the avatar state.

“I miss your brother, and I miss Twinkletoes. Even with all his responsibility, he always had time to come and see me. The world was always facing some kind of problem that he had to deal with, but at the end of the day he always had time for family and friends. No offence to you guys _(“This is definitely going to be offensive.” Katara muttered.)_ but when I left the police force, and started travelling, he was the only one who really tried to stay in touch.” Katara and Zuko made uncomfortable eye contact with each other, they hadn’t made much of an effort, but to be fair to them, they were quite busy.

Toph continued, “I don’t blame you two, I just left and didn’t tell you where I was. I needed to see the world like we did when we were kids. When we went to see the Ember Island Players, and they thought you two were in love!”  
The three of them laughed loudly, reminiscing and remembering.  
Through her laughter, Katara said “Remember when we sent Aang to that Fire Nation school, and me and Sokka had to pretend to be his parents?”  
“I never heard about that!” Zuko exclaimed, chuckling at the thought of Aang in an old Fire Nation school but also of the idea that Katara and Sokka pretending to be his parents. “I have a fond memory of mine and Katara’s field trip to the Southern Raiders and you blood-bended. I was genuinely terrified of you then, the last time we’d seen each other before that, you were good but not that good.” He smiled at her but Katara dropped her gaze.  
She wasn’t proud of her history with blood-bending, it was a major reason for why she’d thrown herself into healing because she couldn’t stand the idea of the harm she could do.  
“Don’t look so sad Katara, we’ve all done things that we regret. I burned down Suki’s entire village, Toph’s almost definitely killed some people _(“I don’t have regrets.” Toph interjected.)_ We’ve all done reckless things in our teens.” Zuko joked, but his tone then changed. “Katara, in times of war, our lives are flipped, and we find ourselves acting before thinking because our lives are at risk. You’ve done so much good since then that it’s definitely cancelled out.”  
Katara was silent, mulling over what Zuko had said, and she found comfort in his words.

Dusk had settled and the night was clawing its way over the city. The three of them talked about the adventures they’d been on together as children, before and after Zuko had joined the team. Some of the details of their shenanigans had been avoided when they’d talked about them before, but in their old age, regret and embarrassment were the least of their worries.

_“You were the Painted Lady?”_  
_“You’re not the only one with a secret alter-ego, Mr. Blue Spirit!”_  
_“You were the Blue Spirit?”_

_“Sokka got high on cactus juice?!”_

_“You practised how you’d introduce yourself to us at the Western Air Temple! That’s so cute.”_

_“Jet didn’t deserve to die like that.”_  
_“I learned that from the Ember Islands Players.”_

The moon was now shining brightly, casting a white glimmer over the metropolis.  
Katara looked straight up towards it and whispered, “Thank you Yue.”  
Neither of the other two had been there when she’d given her life to the moon spirit, but they both knew the story. Zuko didn’t know why, but the only thought in his head was ‘That’s rough, buddy.’

It was very late when they all landed on Air Temple Island, Tenzin and Pema came running out to greet them.  
“I was considering sending out a search party, until my wife reminded me that you three are the most likely of everyone we know to make it home alive and safe.” He turned to Katara. “We’ll be inside, mother.”  
“I’ll miss you both.” Katara hugged them both, squeezing tightly. “Life has a way of passing quickly in the South Pole so come and visit before it’s too late.”  
She stood in the courtyard, which was briefly illuminated by a burst of fire from Druk, and watched them rise into the night, smiles just visible on their faces. Katara didn’t realise how much she missed her friends until she saw them again. Life has a funny way of doing that to you.

* * *

Katara knew when death would come for her. She’d felt his footsteps behind her for some time, and now they were getting closer. She was the last one left of their group, all her friends and family had passed on, leaving her alone. But alone was not the right word, she had her children and grandchildren, there was the new and larger Southern Water Tribe and, of course, Korra.  
She’d made peace with her life; with the decisions she’d made and the person she’d become. She lived through war, through the aftermath, through peace, and strife again, but nothing had ever been as bad as the Hundred Years War. It was what had shaped their futures and shaped them as people. Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if they hadn’t found Aang in the ice, or if Zuko hadn’t betrayed her in the caves, or even if he’d never joined their side. But she didn’t like to think about ‘what ifs’ and instead focussed on what had happened.

When she finally met death, she accepted its hand and closed her eyes, falling into darkness. When she opened them again, she saw five faces smiling down at her, each of her friends as children, how they knew each other when they all became a family.  
“Katara, you made it.” Aang helped her to her feet, and they hugged tightly, and in turn, she embraced each of them, leaving Sokka until last. He grinned so broadly, only his mouth was visible on his face, and they pulled each other close, reunited after too many years.  
“I worry I went to soon, that I should have fought more.” Suki said, her voice soft and mellow.  
“Your battles were won and lost at the right times, someone else will put on your warpaint now.” Sokka said, consoling her.  
Suki smiled, “When did you get so wise?”  
“The world is in safe hands, Korra is a powerful avatar and she has friends that will keep her safe.” Zuko reassured them.  
Quietly, Aang started speaking, “I see a lot of us in her and her friends, incredible earth and fire benders, genius and talented non-benders, phenomenal waterbending and airbending. But also, a family that’ll stay by her side throughout it all. They’ll go through some hard times, when they’ll question everything, where nothing will seem like the right decision, where hope will be completely lost. They’ll have good times too, which will just about cancel out the bad, but that is the game life hands us. If we, a group of five teenagers, could save the world, then there’s nothing they can’t take that is throw at them.”


End file.
